cheek

[cheek]

noun

1. either side of the face below the eye and above the jaw.

2. the side wall of the mouth between the upper and lower jaws.

3. something resembling the side of the human face in form or position, as either of two parts forming corresponding sides of various objects.

   the cheeks of a vise.

4. impudence or effrontery.

   He's got a lot of cheek to say that to me!

   Synonyms: gall, brass, audacity, nerve

5. Slang.,  either of the buttocks.

6. Architecture.

   1. one side of an opening, as a reveal.

   2. either of two similar faces of a projection, as a buttress or dormer.

7. Carpentry.

   1. a piece of wood removed from the end of a timber in making a tenon.

   2. a piece of wood on either side of a mortise.

8. one side of a hammer head.

9. Horology.,  one of two pieces placed on both sides of the suspension spring of a pendulum to control the amplitude of oscillation or to give the arc of the pendulum a cycloidal form.

10. one of the two main vertical supports forming the frame of a hand printing press.

11. Machinery.,  either of the sides of a pulley or block.

12. Nautical.,  either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a lower mast, used to support trestletrees which in turn support a top and often the heel of a topmast; one of the hounds of a lower mast.

13. Metallurgy.,  any part of a flask between the cope and the drag.

cheek

/ tʃiːk /

noun

1. 1. either side of the face, esp that part below the eye

   2. either side of the oral cavity; side of the mouth

2. informal,  impudence; effrontery

3. informal,  (often plural) either side of the buttocks

4. (often plural) a side of a door jamb

5. nautical one of the two fore-and-aft supports for the trestletrees on a mast of a sailing vessel, forming part of the hounds

6. one of the jaws of a vice

7. close together; intimately linked

8. to be submissive and refuse to retaliate even when provoked or treated badly

9. See tongue

verb

1. informal,  (tr) to speak or behave disrespectfully to; act impudently towards

Other Word Forms

• cheekless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheek¹

before 900; Middle English cheke, Old English cē ( a ) ce; akin to Dutch kaak, Middle Low German kake

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheek¹

Old English ceace; related to Middle Low German kāke, Dutch kaak

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. (with) tongue in cheek. tongue.

2. cheek by jowl, in close intimacy; side by side.

   a row of houses cheek by jowl.

More idioms and phrases containing cheek

• tongue in cheek
• turn the other cheek

Example Sentences

Autochromes possess the light-dappled depth of Impressionist paintings, the powdery precision of pointillism, the honest blushes of butterfly cheeks, and the palpable textures of gleaming silks and gilded velvets.

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The air above me kisses my cheeks with a refreshing breeze—the kind of weather that turns on the part of your brain that screams, Let’s have fun!

Read more on Literature

“Now, as for the Russia/England problem . . .” But the boys had already lost interest and were trying to pat Veronika’s cheeks with their dirty hands.

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A tear might have begun to roll down her cheek, but if it did, she brushed it aside so quickly that no one was the wiser.

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The older woman’s cheeks were already pink from exertion, but her proud blush shone through nevertheless.

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Related Words

• lip